Since 2009, MA60 aircraft have been involved in 11 incidents, including three of them in the last two months.

Last month, Myanmar grounded its MA60 planes for safety checks after two crash landings.

Most of the crashes were caused by technical or system failures.

The Tongan Government is promising the new plane will not be allowed to fly until it meets international aviation standards.

However, the chair of the New Zealand Tongan Advisory Council, Melino Maka, told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat program getting that approval could take some time.

"Given that the US, New Zealand and Britain are actually not giving certification to this type of plane because of the history, I'm struggling to see how Tonga can obtain certification of this type of plane," he said.

It was first announced that Tonga would be receiving the Xian MA60 at the start of the year when the government revealed it was introducing a Chinese-run service.

This service saw the New Zealand-run company Chathams Pacific pull out of Tonga's domestic airline market.

Chathams Pacific officials said they could not compete against a subsidised service, especially in such a small market.

Mr Maka says safety fears are already having an impact on New Zealand's large Tongan community.

"I know that some members of our Tongan community wanted to visit relatives but when they hear about the planes saga they cancelled," he said.

"The long term impact on Tonga is its tourism, it's going to be quite devastating.

"It's high stakes, and while everybody at government level are trying to hold their position, it is the businesses and the locals who are the losers."

A second MA60 aircraft is expected to arrive in Tonga by the end of the year.